U.S. Removes Cuba from State Sponsors of Terrorism List

The United States removed Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism Friday, the latest move in a thaw in Washington-Havana relations.

“The rescission of Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism reflects our assessment that Cuba meets the statutory criteria for rescission,” said State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke in a statement. “While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba’s policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation.”

The move came after a 45-day congressional notification period that began on April 14, when President Obama first announced his intention to remove Cuba from the list.

American and Cuban officials have been meeting about restoring diplomatic ties and opening embassies although there have been some sticking points.

Meanwhile, several airlines and tourist organizations have announced plans to add additional charter flights to Havana over the past several months, a move that will bring more American visitors to the island nation.

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